Methamphetamine abuse has been a significant problem in the United States for the last decade. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there were 439,000 methamphetamine users in the U.S. in 2011. New methamphetamine users numbered 133,000. In 2010, more than 100,000 were admitted to drug abuse treatment with methamphetamine as their primary substance of abuse. In addition, there were 54.9 emergency department visits per 100,000 population aged 21 or older involving methamphetamine use.
Current treatments for methamphetamine abuse are generally not effective in the long term. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) at UCLA reported that 36% of patients who successfully completed treatment programs used (+) methamphetamine again in the first 6 months after treatment and another 15% used again within 13 months (Brecht et al., 2000). Thus, at least half of patients completing treatment programs eventually used methamphetamine again. These high recidivism rates may occur because current approaches are primarily supportive. Although some symptoms of methamphetamine abuse and toxicity may be treated effectively (e.g., treating hypertension with antihypertensives, suppressing depression and anxiety of withdrawal with pharmacologic adjuncts), no treatments exist to reduce the pleasurable reinforcing effects of (+) methamphetamine use that promote addiction (i.e. the euphoric rush that drug users crave). The most effective current treatments for methamphetamine addiction are cognitive behavioral interventions—long-term approaches used to modify patient thinking, expectations, and behaviors and increase skills in coping with various life stressors while patients learn drug avoidance techniques.
Thus, the prior art lacks an effective pharmacological approach to reduce critical reinforcing effects of methamphetamine, as well as the means to effectively treat methamphetamine overdose. The present invention fulfills this long-standing need and desire in the art.